Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor [PHWR] - Indigenous Indian Design [Nuclear]

This progressively maturing Reactor design of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. [NPCIL].

The Indian programme envisages building commercial scale electricity generating Reactors that operate on a broad spectrum of Nuclear cycles. These include the thorium-utilising Fast Breeder Reactors & systems for harnessing the power of Nuclear fusion, Work is also underway for developing Compact High Temperature Reactor [CHTR] that could provide electricity to regions not connected to the grid & be utilised for large-scale generation of hydrogen.

While these systems reside, somewhat, in the realms of the "exotic", NPCIL has also developed & deployed indigenous power plants utilising the more prevalent nuclear fuel cycle, with its Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor [PHWR]-series. "Burning" natural Uranium, the 1^st of its Reactors became operational on the 1^st of January 1991. Since then, NPCIL has been successful in scaling up the design.

Currently PHWR plant designs exist in 3 power ratings - 220, 540 & 700 MWe. While the 220 & 540-rated reactors have been in operation for many years [the 1^st 540 MWe design began operation in 2005], work on setting up the larger 700 MWe plant continues at the sites of Kakrapar & Rajasthan power-plants. They are expected to start electricity generation in 2015 [Rajasthan, 2016]. Unlike the earlier 2 types, the 700 MWe-reactor will use Slightly Enriched Uranium [SEU] as fuel. In addition to the 4 reactors being set up at the 2 locations, 16 more of these advanced PHWR designs are being planned for construction at 5 locations.

In this NPCIL presentation, the 3 designs have been compared, highlighting their key features & technologies, including safety aspects. In keeping with best practices, critical functions of the reactor have been equipped with dual-redundant systems, for fail-safe operation.

In order to realise the PHWR, it developed & demonstrated manufacturing processes & systems requiring compliance to exacting standards. These include ultra heavy forging, zero-leak high discharge canned rotor pumps for circulating the heavy water, automated on-power refuelling machine, all requiring manufacturing adhering to the highest Class-1 standards.

The PHWR is also playing its role, serving as a medium for engaging in International relation, be it a suspected export to Bahrain, or a more confirmed joint study undertaken, in this case, with Vietnam, among others.

Godspeed

Also Read: Dr. Brahm Prakash - Father Of Nuclear Materials

NOTE: This write-up, I had, originally, posted, earlier, on the AAME Blog. Transferring it here for topic homogeneity.